I know you're probably all on the edge of your seats, so without further ado, I present Act 3 -- The Neutral Party, after the break:
3. Act 3 -- The Neutral Party
3.1 Chapter 10: A Token of Love
In this chapter, Darren must retrieve the pieces of the locket. It is up to the player to choose which faction storage unit to go to first.
The PEM stores all their acquired goods in the back of the large factory where they make and test their weapons. It will be up to Darren to navigate, sneak, and fight his way through to the back warehouse and find the half of the locket. The Factory will require a lot of stealth and clever use of artifacts to bypass security.
The NAA stores all their extra artifacts and weapons in a mall. Darren will have to get into the mall and find the locket. The Mall will require less stealth, but the location of the locket is less clear, so Darren will have to search the mall while simultaneously trying to stay alive.
Once the two pieces of the locket are together, it’s time to shut down that portal.
3.2 Chapter 11: Not a Friend in the World
This chapter involves Darren getting to the location of the initial breach, a huge construction site. It will be a fast paced, combat-heavy chapter, as Darren now has enemies everywhere. There will be several different routes that Darren can take: the subway, which is more straightforward but more cramped and harder to hide in, or above ground, which offers multiple routes to the site, but takes more time.
Either way, Darren will eventually arrive at the construction site.
3.3 Chapter 12: Salt and Just a Dash of Pepper in the Wound
The Construction Site, practically a junkyard at this point, is the site of the breach. Both factions fight over it furiously from either side, neither quite sure what they would actually do if they managed to gain control over it.
It will be up to Darren to first find a way into the site, then wade his way through combat in order to get to the portal. This will be the most open level in the game, with no clear paths to the center.
When Darren final reaches the center of the construction site, he sees the breach: A huge purple gash, bursting with light and at this point getting wider by the minute. Bullets and rockets and fireballs and lasers and lightning roar above him as the two sides barrage each other relentlessly. There is a large mound of dirt to the side of the portal. Darren begins to climb it with the locket in his hand (the player controls his ascent). His phone’s shield is on all the way up, deflecting stray bullets and magic from all sides. Halfway up, the shield flickers and a bullet hits his arm, causing him to drop the locket. Natalia jumps down from his shoulders. He slumps down onto the side of the mound and the player gains control of his sight for a moment, reaching out with his phone to shoot down the soldiers that are gaining on him. The phone emits only a tiny spark. Darren holds the screen up to his face, which reads “LOW BATTERY. I’M SO SORRY.” Darren defeatedly hugs the side of the mound.
Natalia, a bright white silhouette against the darkness, morphs into a humanlike form, sexless but beautiful, massive but graceful.
This is not your world, little one. A voice surrounds Darren. You deserve to witness the good you’ve done for your own. The figure’s glowing white hand reaches out and caresses Darren’s cheek. Do not fear what follows you. It is of my own creation. A thank you for your kindness. The figure slowly pulls its hand away from Darren’s face. I will not forget you, little one. Abruptly, it shoves Darren in the chest with both hands.
3.4 Chapter 13: Faith in Fear
Darren lies on his back for a moment, then slowly starts to lean upward to the portal. Just as he’s about to see it, an enormous, dragon-like head and neck of a monstrous creature rockets forth from the breach. It’s scaly neck is endless as it towers higher and higher into the sky, it’s head growing larger and larger. Darren scrambles backwards and tumbles down the mound of dirt.
The creature is all horrors at once, changing from blink to blink. It lets out a deafening roar, then breathes fire in all directions.
At the bottom of the hill, Darren looks up to see that both side’s fire has changed focus from each other to the monstrosity. It lets out another horrifying scream and slams its head into a nearby building, crumbling it. It screams and bucks for a few incredibly long minutes, staring its horrible face at both sides and breathing more fire into the sky. Slowly, its screams become words, so loud that all other sounds are eliminated.
I WILL COME BACK FOR YOU. I WILL COME BACK FOR YOUR WORLD. I HOPE YOU ARE PREPARED.
It screams and bucks a few more times before it is vacuumed back into the portal, which closes behind him. A painful silence follow. Darren’s vision is blurring, as he is about to pass out from blood loss. He’s not sure how much time passes, but he notices that there are no more bullets or rockets or balls of fire shooting above him. He feels two hands reach under his armpits and drag him up. He looks to his left and sees a fully armored figure. He looks to his right and he sees a man with makeshift armor and a bandana over his face. He closes his eyes.
End Credits
3.1 Chapter 10: A Token of Love
In this chapter, Darren must retrieve the pieces of the locket. It is up to the player to choose which faction storage unit to go to first.
The PEM stores all their acquired goods in the back of the large factory where they make and test their weapons. It will be up to Darren to navigate, sneak, and fight his way through to the back warehouse and find the half of the locket. The Factory will require a lot of stealth and clever use of artifacts to bypass security.
The NAA stores all their extra artifacts and weapons in a mall. Darren will have to get into the mall and find the locket. The Mall will require less stealth, but the location of the locket is less clear, so Darren will have to search the mall while simultaneously trying to stay alive.
Once the two pieces of the locket are together, it’s time to shut down that portal.
3.2 Chapter 11: Not a Friend in the World
This chapter involves Darren getting to the location of the initial breach, a huge construction site. It will be a fast paced, combat-heavy chapter, as Darren now has enemies everywhere. There will be several different routes that Darren can take: the subway, which is more straightforward but more cramped and harder to hide in, or above ground, which offers multiple routes to the site, but takes more time.
Either way, Darren will eventually arrive at the construction site.
3.3 Chapter 12: Salt and Just a Dash of Pepper in the Wound
The Construction Site, practically a junkyard at this point, is the site of the breach. Both factions fight over it furiously from either side, neither quite sure what they would actually do if they managed to gain control over it.
It will be up to Darren to first find a way into the site, then wade his way through combat in order to get to the portal. This will be the most open level in the game, with no clear paths to the center.
When Darren final reaches the center of the construction site, he sees the breach: A huge purple gash, bursting with light and at this point getting wider by the minute. Bullets and rockets and fireballs and lasers and lightning roar above him as the two sides barrage each other relentlessly. There is a large mound of dirt to the side of the portal. Darren begins to climb it with the locket in his hand (the player controls his ascent). His phone’s shield is on all the way up, deflecting stray bullets and magic from all sides. Halfway up, the shield flickers and a bullet hits his arm, causing him to drop the locket. Natalia jumps down from his shoulders. He slumps down onto the side of the mound and the player gains control of his sight for a moment, reaching out with his phone to shoot down the soldiers that are gaining on him. The phone emits only a tiny spark. Darren holds the screen up to his face, which reads “LOW BATTERY. I’M SO SORRY.” Darren defeatedly hugs the side of the mound.
After a moment, he drags himself to the side of the mound directly facing the portal. He is safe from the view of the soldiers, but he is now clinging to the side of the mound that is visibly eroding into the widening breach. He starts to climb again, and the player regains control. He climbs much more slowly now, as he can only use one hand. Natalia reappears, locket in mouth, and clings to Darren’s good arm as he climbs.
They finally reach the top of the mound, and Darren painfully climbs up. Natalia drops the locket into his hands, and Darren lies atop the mound, the sounds of destruction ringing in his ears around him. He breathes heavily for a couple seconds, then grasps the locket, stands up, and painstaking pulls his injured arm up to the locket. He faces the gaping portal and opens the locket.
A huge bubble of distorted space expands around him and he is in silence. He begins to count in his head. One mississippi... All manner of high speed death bombards the bubble, each hit causes a bright, momentary glow on the surface upon striking it. Projectiles disappear into the sphere, leaving no trace behind. Four mississippi, five mississippi... The bubble begins to waver and its glow becomes brighter and redder, the surging energy contained within it becoming clearer. Darren stares into the portal, his good arm outstretched, holding the locket. He looks around, realizing that he didn’t know exactly what he was supposed to do after this. Seven mississippi, eight mississippi...
Jump! He thinks to himself. Just jump! As soon as the player presses the button to jump, Darren begins to move forward, but he is stopped when Natalia runs across his chest and onto his arm, grabs the locket, and launches herself at the portal.
“No!” Darren screams, but she’s already falling.
As Darren looks down precariously at the portal below, the player is presented with an untold choice. If the player instinctively tries to jump after Natalia, Darren will dive into the portal after her. If the player does not, Darren will not jump, will fall back onto the mound, and will go directly from this point to the next chapter.
If he does jump... Darren falls into the portal, still inside the quickly disappearing bubble of energy. Suddenly, he is surrounded by a maelstrom of purple and black. Natalia is floating in front of him, clutching the locket. Darren watches as she begins to turn to a white glow. He reaches out to her, but he cannot control his movement. He opens his mouth to yell her name, but there is no sound. Natalia, a bright white silhouette against the darkness, morphs into a humanlike form, sexless but beautiful, massive but graceful.
This is not your world, little one. A voice surrounds Darren. You deserve to witness the good you’ve done for your own. The figure’s glowing white hand reaches out and caresses Darren’s cheek. Do not fear what follows you. It is of my own creation. A thank you for your kindness. The figure slowly pulls its hand away from Darren’s face. I will not forget you, little one. Abruptly, it shoves Darren in the chest with both hands.
We see the white figure get smaller as we rush backward, crashing into the loud world and landing roughly on the mound of earth.
3.4 Chapter 13: Faith in Fear
Darren lies on his back for a moment, then slowly starts to lean upward to the portal. Just as he’s about to see it, an enormous, dragon-like head and neck of a monstrous creature rockets forth from the breach. It’s scaly neck is endless as it towers higher and higher into the sky, it’s head growing larger and larger. Darren scrambles backwards and tumbles down the mound of dirt.
The creature is all horrors at once, changing from blink to blink. It lets out a deafening roar, then breathes fire in all directions.
At the bottom of the hill, Darren looks up to see that both side’s fire has changed focus from each other to the monstrosity. It lets out another horrifying scream and slams its head into a nearby building, crumbling it. It screams and bucks for a few incredibly long minutes, staring its horrible face at both sides and breathing more fire into the sky. Slowly, its screams become words, so loud that all other sounds are eliminated.
I WILL COME BACK FOR YOU. I WILL COME BACK FOR YOUR WORLD. I HOPE YOU ARE PREPARED.
It screams and bucks a few more times before it is vacuumed back into the portal, which closes behind him. A painful silence follow. Darren’s vision is blurring, as he is about to pass out from blood loss. He’s not sure how much time passes, but he notices that there are no more bullets or rockets or balls of fire shooting above him. He feels two hands reach under his armpits and drag him up. He looks to his left and sees a fully armored figure. He looks to his right and he sees a man with makeshift armor and a bandana over his face. He closes his eyes.
End Credits
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